MIAMI (Reuters) - Loggerhead sea turtles in U.S. Atlantic
waters face extinction from commercial fishing and global
warming and should be designated an endangered species, two
environmental groups said on Thursday.

The ocean conservation group Oceana and the Center for
Biological Diversity are petitioning the U.S. government to win
better protection for loggerhead habitats and nesting beaches
along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.

The petition to be filed on Thursday with the U.S. Commerce
Department and the Department of the Interior serves as a
warning that the groups could sue the U.S. government if it
fails to act to protect the species.

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Loggerhead nest counts in Florida have dropped nearly 50
percent in the last decade, according to Florida's Fish and
Wildlife Research Institute.

At the Archie Carr wildlife refuge, one of the key Florida
loggerhead nesting areas, nest counts dropped from 15,645 in
2001 to 10,828 in 2006, and appear to be down again this year.

Under U.S. law, an endangered species is "in danger of
extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its
range," while a threatened species is "likely to become an
endangered species within the foreseeable future."

Of the six sea turtle species in U.S. waters, the
hawksbill, leatherback, Kemp's Ridley and green are listed as
endangered and the Olive Ridley and loggerhead are threatened.

A recent five-year study by the National Marine Fisheries
Service concluded that the designation "threatened" should be
maintained for the loggerhead.

Tens of thousands of loggerheads are killed yearly in the
Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico by commercial fishermen, who snare
turtles incidentally while going after other species, Oceana
said.

"With 90 percent of the U.S. nesting occurring in Florida
and a 50 percent decline in nesting over the last decade, it's
quite possible these populations will become extinct," said
Elizabeth Griffin, a marine scientist at Oceana.

The loggerhead, which can live a century or more, is among
the largest of the sea turtle species. They can grow to about 3
1/2 feet and weigh up to 400 pounds (181 kg).

Although loggerhead populations are being decimated by
commercial fishing, scientists believe global warming is a
greater ongoing threat to loggerheads, said Miyoko Sakashita of
the Center for Biological Diversity.

"Turtles' gender is determined by temperature. In warmer
weather there are fewer males born," she said. "The gender
could be skewed toward females. With just a few extra degrees
of temperature you get almost all females born."